Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani announced today at a press conference that at least 50 new hires are needed to meet the needs of the line ministry.

Osmani informed that 18 employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are retiring this year alone and added that new people must be hired.

To a journalist's question about the employment of Besmira Ejupi in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Osmani, who did not announce himself for days after VMRO-DPMNE revealed that she was employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, admitted that this year a total of 13 employees, including Ejupi, were hired by the Ministry of Political System and Inter-Community Relations. Some of them, as he said, are within the framework of that systematization from the K-5 Program, some through a direct agreement.

Osmani held the press conference on the same day that the Deputy Prime Minister for Good Governance, Slavica Grkovska, said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has an obligation to be transparent and to inform the public whether that person is employed in the institution, in what procedure and why exactly he was chosen for that position.

"The information is partially correct, it was taken by the Ministry of Political System and Inter-Community Relations to the position of associate in protocol, which is an initial position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We currently have advertisements for 16 new associates, which is ongoing. All those who want to work in diplomacy in entry-level positions have the opportunity to apply, said Osmani.

28-year-old Ejupi, otherwise a television presenter, became known to the public in February, when it was announced that she had been named Consul General in New York, USA, in a closed cabinet session. The government did not directly deny this, citing the legal ban on disclosing any information from a closed session, but Osmani said at the time that the country had not appointed a consul by that name. Then it became known about the numerous freelance engagements of Ejupi and her sister, from several state and local institutions.

Ejupi is in the focus again these days, after it became known that she was employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and, as the "Free Press" wrote, it is a possible step towards her becoming a diplomat following an accelerated procedure.

Osmani said today that the information that Ejupi is an advisor is incorrect, which requires 10 to 15 years in the relevant ministry, with many passed exams and work experience. The minister does not see anything controversial in this process.

To a journalist's question whether he will refer to EUPI before the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and because the president of this committee requested it Antonio Milososki, Osmani said that there is nothing controversial in this hiring and that it was done in a full legal procedure, as all others have been undertaken, a total of 16 recruitments this year in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He emphasized that "the MFA is open to all citizens of the country and they can apply for a job, in some positions with a secondary education, and in others with a higher education".

Osmani pointed out that Ejupi is neither a consul nor a consul candidate, but a junior associate, in the initial position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To a journalist's question whether at a closed session of the Government, Sead Sadikovski, the current deputy director of the Commodity Reserves Agency has been appointed consul general in Toronto, Osmani said "once you said closed session, that means I can't comment". He added that an agreement is required for ambassadors, and an exequatur is required for consuls, also from the host state. He announced that until an exequatur is obtained for the candidate, the name cannot be published, because there is a risk of rejection. He did not want to comment on the names and their education and announced that the citizens will be informed in time.

Minister Osmani said at the press conference in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he has the right by law to have three special advisers, and there is only one position filled, and the others are empty. Osmani said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has as many contract employees as the Ministry of Finance allows.

Besmira Ejupi was also a member of the Supervisory Board of Macedonian Railways-Infrastructure